The PFAS are now everywhere, even in the foods that we consume every day. A new Austrian study launches the alarm on the levels of Tripluoroactic acid (TFA), a PFAS pesticide degradation productfound in bread, pasta and breakfast cereals. The results – alarming – prompted the experts to ask for an immediate ban on the use of these pesticides.
The new investigation is added to a previous analysis, always conducted at European level, which had already detected traces of TFA in the wine, confirming how pervasive contamination of PFAS is now in our food system.
What are the PFAS (and why we should worry)
Pfas (Per- and polypluoralchilic substances) are a vast class of chemical compounds used in thousands of industrial and consumption products for their waterproofing and non-stick properties. They are found in fabrics, cosmetics, kitchen materials, food coverings and even pesticides.
Because of their extreme persistence in the environment, not surprisingly they are known as “Forever Chemicals”, they do not easily degrade but accumulate in ecosystems and living organisms and have been associated with serious health effects, including reproductive, immune and oncological problems.
Among the most popular degradation compounds of the PFAS there is precisely the TFA (trifluoroactic acid)That It dissolves easily in the water and can therefore contaminate the aquifers, agricultural land and, finally, food that arrives on our tables.
TFA in all products analyzed in Austria
The study, conducted by Global 2000 (member of the Pan Europe network) in Austria, analyzed 48 cereal products, Purchased on the market and divided equally between organic and conventional: bread, pasta, biscuits, breakfast cereals, wholemeal flours. The result? All samples contained TFA.
Here are the most relevant data:
Scientists speak of a “rapid and unstoppable” accumulation of TFA in ecosystems.
This study is shocking, but it is not surprising who studies the phenomenon – commented Professor Hans Peter Arp, an environmental chemist expert in TFA – we are overcoming the planetary limits.
Pending further specific studies on TFA levels in European foods, Pan Europe and Global 2000 ask for an immediate call for all pesticides containing PFAS in Europe.
And in Italy?
In Italy, systematic analyzes on the presence of TFA in food products are still lacking, but we know that the PFAS problem exists and worries. The contamination of the waters in Veneto – one of the most serious cases in Europe – has led to alarming levels of population exposure, so much so that some municipalities have had to install special filters for drinking water.
But the TFA, being more soluble and volatile than other PFAS, can travel much further, ending up in agricultural land irrigated with contaminated water or fertilized with industrial sludge.
The risk, therefore, is also real in our country, and does not only concern the areas with high industrialization.
In the meantime, on May 26, the European Agency for Chemicals (Echa) proposed to classify the TFA as a “playback toxic, category 1b”, with H360DF risk phrases: “It can harm the fetus. Can compromise fertility“.” And EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is also at work to update the toxicological limits of reference for the TFA: the new thresholds are expected by February 2026, but according to many experts, the institutions cannot afford to wait so long.
What can we do as consumers? While waiting for new stringent European limits on the PFAS, it is worth choosing as much as possible organic products, which according to the study show significantly lower contamination levels (even if not null). It is also important to continue to ask for transparency and checks to the institutions, because the food that arrives on our tables is really safe.
